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Avian decline is occurring globally with neonicotinoid insecticides posed as a potentially contributing factor. Birds can be exposed to neonicotinoids through coated seeds, soil, water, and insects, and experimentally exposed birds show varied adverse effects including mortality and disruption of immune, reproductive, and migration physiology. However, few studies have characterized exposure in wild bird communities over time. We hypothesized that neonicotinoid exposure would vary temporally and based on avian ecological traits. Birds were banded and blood sampled at eight non-agricultural sites across four Texas counties. Plasma from 55 species across 17 avian families was analyzed for the presence of 7 neonicotinoids using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Imidacloprid was detected in 36 % of samples (n = 294); this included quantifiable concentrations (12 %; 10.8-36,131 pg/mL) and concentrations that were below the limit of quantification (25 %). Additionally, two birds were exposed to imidacloprid, acetamiprid (18,971.3 and 6844 pg/mL) and thiacloprid (7022.2 and 17,367 pg/mL), whereas no bird tested positive for clothianidin, dinotefuran, nitenpyram, or thiamethoxam, likely reflecting higher limits of detection for all compounds compared to imidacloprid. Birds sampled in spring and fall had higher incidences of exposure than those sampled in summer or winter. Subadult birds had higher incidences of exposure than adult birds. Among the species for which we tested more than five samples, American robin (Turdus migratorius) and red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) had significantly higher incidences of exposure. We found no relationships between exposure and foraging guild or avian family, suggesting birds with diverse life histories and taxonomies are at risk. Of seven birds resampled over time, six showed neonicotinoid exposure at least once with three showing exposures at multiple time points, indicating continued exposure. This study provides exposure data to inform ecological risk assessment of neonicotinoids and avian conservation efforts., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Sarah Hamer reports financial support was provided by American Association of Zoo Veterinarians. Meredith Anderson reports financial support was provided by American Association of Zoo Veterinarians. Meredith Anderson reports financial support was provided by American Ornithological Society. Sarah Hamer reports financial support was provided by Texas A&M University Schubot Center for Avian Health. Ivan Rusyn reports financial support was provided by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Age-related perceptual and cognitive declines are associated with difficulties performing everyday tasks required to remain independent. Encouraging improvements in cognitive abilities have been shown for various short-term interventions but there is little evidence for direct impact on independence. This project compares the effect of broad and directed (narrow) technology-based training on basic perceptual and cognitive abilities in older adults and on the performance of simulated tasks of daily living including driving and fraud avoidance. Participants (N = 230, Mean age = 72) were randomly assigned to one of four training conditions: broad training using either (1) a web-based brain game suite, Brain HQ, or (2) a strategy video game, Rise of Nations, or to directed training for (3) Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) training using web-based programs for both driving and fraud avoidance training, or (4) to an active control condition of puzzle solving. Training took approximately 15-20 h for each intervention condition across four weeks. Before training began, participants received baseline ability tests of perception, attention, memory, cognition, and IADL, including a driving simulator test for hazard perception, and a financial fraud recognition test. They were tested again on these measures following training completion (post-test). A one-year follow-up from training completion is also scheduled. The baseline results support that randomization was successful across the intervention conditions. We discuss challenges and potential solutions for using technology-based interventions with older adults. We also discuss how the current trial addressed methodological limitations of previous intervention studies. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03141281., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)